The Minnesota Wild Trade Board?
Joe Smith and Michael Russo of The Athletic: The Minnesota Wild come into February with much uncertainty. Dean Evason scratched Matt Dumba twice and Minnesota promptly lost to Florida and Carolina. Defense may be less of an issue.
Minnesota needs even-strength scoring. The Wild rank 27th in the NHL there. Minnesota’s next nine games are crucial.
Jordan Greenway, Matt Dumba, and Alex Goligoski are “On The Block”, but Dumba and Goligoski may get a reprieve. Dumba especially may stay because no one wants to take on the risk. Then again, what if Goligoski requests a trade? It’s about to get wild, Minnesota!
Smaller cogs like Calen Addison and Sam Steel could be moved for the right price. Remember that cap crunch for the Wild. Anyone due a large raise may get moved at the deadline or in the summer. Jon Merrill seems safe unless Guerin is wowed.
After that, Minnesota figures to hold on to players like Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman. Even with major regression issues, their value to Minnesota is greater than either being subtracted.
Minnesota keeping a pecking order with its prospects, particularly defensemen, could pay off given their cap crunch.
A Bit More On Matt Dumba
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff: So, what does or can Bill Guerin and Minnesota do with Dumba? The problem is when a defenseman does not slot into any one archetype, it creates its own set of problems. He disrupts play and can play well defensively. The problem is that wild inconsistency.
Now, Dumba is not that 50-point blueliner. At this point, he is not close. However, Dumba is better than 12 points in 45 games. He walks at the end of the season more than likely.
If there was a trade, 50% retained money is almost a pre-requisite. After that, Dumba maybe fetches a second or third-round pick or maybe a prospect.